Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened (2025)

That’s all for tonight. Thanks for your company, see you soon.

We’re disappointed with the result and the performance. We never found enough consistency in actions to earn the right to dominate the game. We had periods like that but then we gave sloppy balls away. We dropped our standards in defensive habits as well.

When you’re not at your best but you’re 2-1 up, you can’t give the ball away like we did. It’s part of football and it’s cost us two points. There were many aspects of the game where we should have done better today.

We play the most important game of the season in six days. We need to recover, get the energy back and focus on that game.

The updated Premier League table

Liverpool need a point at home to Spurs on Sunday to get the job done.

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s reaction

I watched the game from the bench and I saw that David Raya was very high [up the pitch] so I knew if we won the ball in that area he wouldn’t be in his goal.

[Is this one of the best goals of your career?] Yeah I think so. [Laughs] Yes. Yeah!

I was scared it would hit the crossbar so I was just waiting to see if it went in.

Today was a good game for us. I think we have confidence [going into the weekend]. It’s a very good game for the fans, for us, for everybody. I can’t wait.

Fourteen goals [this season] is good but I hope I will score a lot more. I’m very happy, thank you!

Ed Aarons was at the Emirates for us – here’s his report.

Liverpool must wait until Sunday to become champions. But my word, Crystal Palace came so close to a mighty victory at the Emirates. They were supposed to phone this game in, with the FA Cup semi-final less than three days away, but they were outstanding and probably should have won.

Arsenal led twice through Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard; Palace equalised through a brilliant goal from Ebere Eze and an even better one from the substitution Jean-Philippe Mateta.

90+7 min Time’s running out for Arsenal/Palace/Liverpool.

90+5 min Palace send almost everyone forward for a long throw from Lerma. He undercuts it and the ball goes behind for a goalkick.

90+2 min Jean-Philippe Mateta has been rampant since coming off the bench. Right now Palace are the likelier winners.

90+1 min: Another chance for Palace! Mateta gets to the byline on the right and cuts the ball back to Sarr, whose shot on the run is crucially blocked by Saliba. I think that was going in. Arsenal go down the other end and Martinelli drags a shot wide of the near post.

90 min There will be eight minutes of added time.

89 min Oliver Glasner is bouncing round the touchline, urging his team to keep pushing. Whatever happens from here, this performance will give them a big morale boost ahead of the FA Cup semi-final.

88 min This would be Arsenal’s 13th and Palace’s 12th draws of the league season. Only Everton (14) have more.

87 min A reminder, just in case you need it, that Liverpool will be crowned champions if Palace win this game.

86 min: Double substitution for Arsenal Ethan Nwaneri and Kieran Tierney replace Martin Odegaard, who is starting for form, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Saliba played a lazy square pass to Odegaard 25 yards from his own goal. Mateta nipped in, held off Odegaard and stunned a beautiful chip on the turn that beat Raya and went into the net off the underside of the bar.

Raya was a long way to the left of centre, offering himself for a pass, but he was getting back and would have made the save but for the precision and imagination of Mateta’s finish.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scores a magnificent equaliser!

82 min Sarr sweeps over from 15 yards at the other end. This has been such a fun game.

81 min Rice’s deep corner is headed down and into the side netting by Trossard. That was a chance.

81 min: Double substitution for Palace Jean-Philippe Mateta and Romain Esse replace Eddie Nketiah, who gets a great hand from the home crowd, and Justin Devenny.

80 min: Fine save by Henderson! Martinelli runs Munoz and clips a cross towards Saka, whose instinctive volley from six yards is punched over the bar by Henderson. That’s a superb reaction save.

79 min After a good spell of Arsenal possession, Odegaard belts a low shot from distance that is blocked by Kamada.

76 min Sarr finds the indefatigable Mitchell on the overlap, but his cross is too close to Raya.

73 min: No goal! Ah, there was angle that showed the ball was out of play before Timber crossed. So the goal was disallowed correctly, but for the wrong reason (an offside that wasn’t).

72 min The scoreboard at the Emirates says the check is for offside against Timber rather than whether the ball was still in play.

71 min This goal might be given. It’s hard to be certain but it looks to the naked eye that it was still in play when Timber crossed.

70 min Odegaard’s first-time shot from the edge of the area is accidentally blocked by Rice. Moments later Martinelli scores from Timber’s cross but the assistant rules the ball had gone out before Timber lobbed it over the head of Henderson. It looks close.

68 min Palace really should be level – at least.

67 min: How did that stay out! Another Palace corner is swung deep and headed back across the goalline by Lacroix. It goes through the hands of Raya, who has had a really bad night, and brushed the head of the unsighted Sarr before bouncing just wide of the far post.

65 min The resulting corner is taken by Kamada and headed towards goal by Guehi (I think) at the near post. Raya dives to his right to make a smart reaction save.

65 min: Chance for Palace! Sarr’s cross finds Devenny unmarked eight yards out. He stoops for a header but mistimes it and shoulders the ball up in the air. Raya takes no chances and tips it over the bar.